If I have certain folders and files on C: encrypted, just really how safe are these files from intruders?

Save a brute force attack on all the combinations possible on a 35 character password, how ill it be cracked?”

Answer from DaveHowe

“A lot depends on what you are using to encrypt the data.

One common solution is “on the fly” encryption – which gives you a virtual drive that is always encrypted, with encryption/decryption being done transparently in the OS

Examples are Scramdisk, E4M and Drivecrypt (don’t trust MS-EFS – I have seen advertised a tool that can break the password in under a minute, and the Wall Street Journal claimed to have broken a EFS disk in about three days – and they are not the most skilled Haxors in the world :)”

Answer from nicknomo

“Well if you do something where the data is encrypted it is still not completely safe, but your chances of having it compromised are slimmed down considerably.

Usually when someone tries to break into a system they do not have the time or the patience to use a brute force method. Instead they think of ways to get your data without randomly guessing the password. Its like trying to go through the screen side door instead of the steel barricaded front door.

A lot of times when you encrypt files independantly you have the least chance of having it compromised. The level of instrusion is specified to a securely encrypted file. On the other level, encrypting your system so that the whole drive is encrypted through a unique type of filesystem, or an on boot methodology is far less adequate.

If you encrypt a file with a 3rd party encrypter, and that file can only be opened/restored once you specifically try to unencrypt thast file using a unique & strong key, you are only vulnerable to a keylogger or someone watching you type it in. Using a good algorithm like blowfish you could make it infeasible for a brute force attack.

However, if the encryption is at a system wide level, the security can vanish once you log in. EFS is the best example (used in 2k/XP). If your system has a backdoor/trojan in it, where they have administrator privelages, you are defenseless. Lophtcrack easily detects most NT/2k/XP passwords, able to deactivate encryption. There are several other ways around it, like file sharing loopholes and such, where it is automatically decrypted on transfer. Also if anyone is physically at your computer in such a case, they can easily compromise it.

Your main concern is usually backdoor type attacks, as they are very popular and they are very effective.

I have used ABI coder, and although very slow, it is effective. I have my most important and secretive things well encrypted through this method.”

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